Homeless Link, the umbrella group for charities working with and for homeless people, today began an ambitious campaign to end homelessness in Britain by 2022.

The campaign was launched at a Parliamentary reception attended by Yvette Cooper, Minister for Housing and Planning, Caroline Spelman and Andrew Stunell (Conservative and Lib Dem Shadow Secretaries of State for Communities and Local Government), MPs from all three major parties, homeless people and senior staff from national and regional homeless charities.

Announcing the campaign goals, Jenny Edwards, chief executive of Homeless Link, said: “In the 40 years since the screening of Cathy Come Home shocked the nation, much has been done to ensure that families like Cathy’s never find themselves in this appalling and degrading situation. However, every year tens of thousands of vulnerable people fall through the cracks into homelessness. We can and must stop this.”

Ending Homelessness [1]: From Vision to Action, a report released by the group today, details the many causes of homelessness and provides a road map for eradicating homelessness within three Parliaments. An early goal is to end rough sleeping in the UK in time for the Olympics in 2012.

Key to achieving this goal is a stronger commitment to catching problems early to prevent individuals finding themselves without a roof. Equally crucial are programmes to give all long-term homeless people the chance to regain their confidence and reintegrate into society.

Olympic challenge to end rough sleeping by 2012, Homeless Link, 1 11 06

Source: Press release [2]